Landscape Wildfire Risk Analysis

In September 2024, Cabin was awarded a three-year contract to deliver a wildfire landscape risk analysis for the 100 Mile House Natural Resource District. This project is part of a broader initiative by the Ministry of Forests to proactively address wildfire risk across a portion of the Cariboo-Chilcotin.

Year One – Risk Analysis & Engagement

We began our first contract year by partnering with BA Blackwell Consulting, who led the landscape-level wildfire risk modeling for the district. Cabin’s geospatial team, led by Stu, then conducted a detailed fire behavior analysis; this, together with Blackwell’s data, formed the foundation of an extensive, district-wide wildfire risk analysis report finalized in June 2025.

The analysis was structured using Resource Sharing Wildfire Allocation Protocol (RSWAP) aligned values, categorizing risk around key themes such as

• human life
• safety
• infrastructure
• cultural heritage
• biodiversity
• and resource values.

These categories were used to prioritize areas most in need of further assessment and future mitigation planning. The result was a suite of refined risk maps, which fed directly into consultation and planning efforts.

Engagement was a key component of this first phase. Kyle Broome, RPF – Cabin’s Lead for the wildfire planning team, presented findings at a Forest Landscape Planning (FLP) roundtable in Canim Lake, with representatives from multiple ministries and some First Nations in attendance. In addition, two “All-Nations” sessions were held with First Nations governments whose territories intersect the district. These sessions helped ensure Indigenous priorities and knowledge were incorporated at a higher level into the final report.

Year Two – Tactical Planning Phase

Following the risk analysis, Cabin has now entered the tactical planning phase, officially known as Wildland Urban Interface Wildfire Risk Reduction (WUI WRR) Planning phase.

Based on the risk analysis results, in consultation with MoF, work on the first tactical plan began in the northwest of the district, with ground-truthing beginning in late July 2025. This work involves verifying Provincial Strategic Threat Assessment (PSTA) values, which include assessing the fuel types, assessing wildfire threat on-site, and determining site operability for mitigation treatments, including the potential for fibre recovery to augment traditional pile-and-burn approaches. Exploring the potential for fibre recovery aligns with regional goals for sustainable resource use and collaborative partnerships with First Nations communities.

Upcoming

The Northwest Area of Interest (AOI) is the first of several targeted in Year Two. There are 17 AOIs delineated across the district in total, and we are committed to progressing as many as possible within this 3-year planning window.

A second tactical plan is scheduled for September 2025 in the Eastern portion of the District. And, capacity dependent, a third may be initiated in the northeast of 100 Mile.

These tactical plans are critical: once approved by the Ministry of Forests and BCWS, they can be issued for tender to develop site-specific Fuel Management Prescriptions (FMPs), marking the final step before on-the-ground mitigation work can begin.

Client Collaboration

We are fortunate to work closely with Catherine Davis from the Ministry of Forests, whose leadership has been instrumental in bringing together the right collaborators across government, industry, and Indigenous communities. Her proactive coordination has allowed this project to gain early momentum.

Each tactical plan developed through this contract year will also undergo review and feedback by local First Nations along the way, ensuring alignment with community values and risk priorities, especially in remote areas across the district, where evacuation routes and local infrastructure are limited.

Working together with communities and government is key in planning for our forests and growing communities in the face of increased climate change and wildfire risk. These landscape-level planning projects are an important piece of that puzzle, connecting what is on the ground with high-level planning, with the goals of minimizing the risk of a high-intensity fire and of ensuring a community’s safety should a wildfire occur.